EJTHR 2020; 10(2): 118-133
Resea ch A icle
Alba Caicedo-Ba e h*, En ique San os Pa ón, Luís Lima San os
Compe i i eness o Guayaquil owa ds bleisu e
ou ism
h ps://doi.o g/10.2478/ej h -2020-00010
ecei ed Ap il 18, 2020; accep ed July 10, 2020
Abs ac : Guayaquil is p oposed as a ou is and busi-
ness des ina ion, aiming o s and ou as a digi al ci y,
wi h a sui able ai po , a con en ion cen e and high-
le el accommoda ion capaci y. The ci y ecei es many
domes ic and in e na ional ou is s, al hough no always
as he main des ina ion o hei isi . One o he ou is
ma ke s o e ed by he ci y is ha o business, due o he
impo an economic ac i i y ha akes place he e, being
he enue o cong esses and in e na ional e en s. This
has allowed he ci y o gain signi ican alue in he busi-
ness ou ism sec o , p o iding cons an and p o i able
g ow h. Howe e , he lack o s udy o he in e na ional
ma ke , speci ically he millennial business sec o , is
a ec ing Guayaquil’s compe i i eness compa ed o o he
des ina ions ha ha e al eady ecognized he di e en i-
a ed p o ile o isi o s om his age g oup, and ha con-
sequen ly o e a usion o business and leisu e ou ism.
This esea ch was ca ied ou du ing he second semes e
o 2018, e alua ing he ma ke o he new bleisu e end
in Guayaquil. The esul s e idence he limi ed supply
di ec ed o his ma ke segmen , he lack o exploi a ion
o business ou ism and he con inued lack o capaci y o
he ou ism sec o o sa is y he bleisu e ma ke . The con-
clusions ocus on how ou ism compe i i eness can be
achie ed in business ci ies ha also encompass places o
ac i i ies whe e isi o s can ha e a elaxing ime.
Keywo ds: Compe i i eness; Bleisu e; Tou ism; Guaya-
quil; Tou is
1 In oduc ion
The na u al, cul u al and a chi ec u al ichness o Ecuado
has enabled i o become a popula des ina ion among
in e na ional ou is s o e he yea s. Na u al and cul u al
ou is des ina ions a e he mos ecognized (Richa ds &
Muns e s, 2010), being p e e ed by Eu opeans (Cen e o
he P omo ion o Impo s om de eloping coun ies, CBI,
2018) and consumed in he wo ld (Wo ld Tou ism O gani-
za ion, UNWTO, 2018), bu he e has also been a g owing
p omo ion o business ou ism in ecen yea s wo ldwide
(Ma ques & Pinho, 2020; Roge son, 2015; Tsui, Balli, Tan,
Lau, & Hasan, 2018). The e o e, Ecuado ’s main ci ies
such as Qui o and Guayaquil ha e become he enues o
mee ings, con en ions and e en s o he execu i e sec o ,
wi h an in e na ional ocus.
As he economic capi al o he coun y, Guayaquil is a
business ci y and has a s a egic loca ion o impo s and
expo s, due o i s wo en ances o ade: he in e na ional
ai po José Joaquín de Olmedo and he seapo . Thus, his
ci y is ecognized as a comme cial and business cen e; a
business des ina ion ha con ibu es 21.6% o he coun-
y’s g oss domes ic p oduc (GDP) due o he impo an
comme cial ac i i ies ha ake place he e. This ci y is
a ilia ed wi h he In e na ional Associa ion o Cong esses
and Con en ions (ICCA), and in 2018, was acco ded he
s a us o he leading des ina ion ci y o business a el
in Sou h Ame ica o he hi d consecu i e yea by Wo ld
T a el Awa ds (Salcedo, 2018)
Guayaquil is de eloping as a digi al ci y (El Telég a o,
2019; Municipalidad de Guayaquil, 2019) and has a quali-
ied ai po , a con en ion cen e wi h cons an occupancy
and high-le el accommoda ion capaci y. Consequen ly, i
welcomes bo h domes ic and o eign ou is s, being he
enue o cong esses and in e na ional e en s, gi ing i
signi ican alue in he business ou ism sec o and p o-
iding cons an and p o i able g ow h.
The e m ‘compe i i eness’ a ises om an economic
poin o iew, e e ing o he measu emen o he de el-
opmen o egions, sec o s o coun ies by exp essing
nume ical indices ha allow compa isons o be made
*Co esponding au ho : Alba Caicedo-Ba e h, Uni e si y o Se ille,
España & Uni e si y o Guayaquil, Ecuado . E-mail: alba.caicedob@
ug.edu.ec
En ique San os Pa ón, Uni e si y o Se ille, Facul ad de Tu ismo y
Finanzas. E-mail: esan [email p o ec ed]
Luís Lima San os, Poly echnic o Lei ia, School o Tou ism and Ma i-
ime Technology, CiTUR – Cen e o Tou ism Resea ch, De elopmen
and Inno a ion, Po ugal, E-mail: llsan o[email p o ec ed]
Open Access. © 2020 Alba Caicedo Ba e h e al., published by De G uy e . This wo k is licensed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion
4.0 License
Compe i i eness o Guayaquil owa ds bleisu e ou ism   119
be ween hem (Black, Hashimzade, & Myles, 2013).
In he case o des ina ion compe i i eness, Kubicko a
and Ma in (2020) ha e iden i ied ou cha ac e is ics:
long- e m pe o mance p oduc i i y, con ol o e local
esou ces and asse s, be e con ol o na u al esou ces
o a ac ou is s and cons an ly e ol ing. Al hough he e
a e di e se de ini ions wo ldwide (C ouch & Ri chie, 1999;
En igh & New on, 2004; Gomez-Vega & Picazo-Tadeo,
2019; Lopes, Munoz, & Ala con-U bis ondo, 2018; Mihalic,
2000; Romao & Nijkamp, 2019; Salinas Fe nández,
Se dei a Aze edo, Ma ín Ma ín, & Rod íguez Ma ín,
2020; Zhang, Gu, Gu, & Zhang, 2011), whene e ou ism
compe i i eness is men ioned, i is he Wo ld Economic
Fo um (WEF) ha has es ablished he measu emen s
and indices wi h he g ea es c edibili y and accep ance
by a ious coun ies. Compe i i eness is no based on a
single ac o and i is no a pe manen indica o . Ra he ,
i encompasses a se o componen s ha allow ou ism o
s a up, he necessa y condi ions o becoming a ue com-
pe i i e des ina ion di e ge acco ding o ou is s’ p e e -
ences.
Acco ding o ICCA, business ou ism gene a es mo e
income han leisu e ou ism (Guayaquil es mi des ino,
2018). The equi emen s o he millennial gene a ion ha e
gi en ise o he c ea ion o new ends, such as ‘bleisu e’,
a po man eau o English o igin, using ‘business’ and
‘leisu e’. This end, which has been inc easing in ecen
yea s, e e s o millennial businesspeople aking ad an-
age o a business ip o enjoy leisu e ac i i ies a he des-
ina ion (Lichy & McLeay, 2018), in luencing he de elop-
men o u ban ou ism in la ge business ci ies.
Acco ding o he Wo ld Economic Fo um (2016), blei-
su e ou ism is g owing. AR Ho els & Reso s (2015) include
i in hei o e s, highligh ing p e e ed bleisu e des ina-
ions o business a elle s such as London, F ank u ,
Tokyo, Ba celona, and Calpe. Mo eo e , IE Business
School (2015) ecognizes Mad id and Ba celona as blei-
su e ci ies and i s High- alue ci y ou ism epo men ions
ha hal o hose who a el o wo k add ou ism ac i -
i ies o hei a el, while 67% enjoy leisu e ime du ing
hei wo k ips.
Fo Spain, business ou ism gene a es 20,000 million
eu os a yea (Hos el u , 2019) and ou is s spend 34% mo e
han con en ional a elle s (Nexo u , 2018), al hough
Lichy and McLeay (2018) ha e cla i ied ha he e is no
s anda d bleisu e a elle , he key cha ac e is ic being
seeking a balance be ween wo k and pleasu e. Ci ies like
Ba celona, Mad id, and Se ille ha e educed he ou ism
seasonali y by encou aging he bleisu e end, he main
ma ke segmen s being echnology, inance, heal h,
public adminis a ion and educa ion (EC B ands, 2019).
A p esen , he Public and Municipal Company o
Tou ism o Guayaquil is e alua ing how o ake ad an age
o millennial business ou is s as a ma ke niche, boos ing
Guayaquil as a bleisu e des ina ion (El Telég a o, 2019).
Howe e , he sca ci y o s udies on Guayaquil as an in e -
na ional ou ism ma ke is a ec ing i s compe i i eness
ela i e o o he des ina ions ha al eady o e a usion o
business and leisu e.
The e o e, we p esen as he esea ch ques ion o
his s udy: Which o Guayaquil’s a ac ions a e he mos
app op ia e o millennial business a elle s? To add ess
his ques ion, he objec i e o his a icle is o diagnose he
po en ial o Guayaquil as a bleisu e ou ism des ina ion
h ough iden i ying sui able and p e e ed a ac ions o
millennial business ou is s. The ele ance o his s udy
encompasses he da a p o ided in his a ea o s imula e
he ou ism sec o in Guayaquil. The analysis p esen ed
he e may p o e use ul o local p o ide s and he local go -
e nmen in o de o p o ide a be e ou is p oduc o e
o he business segmen and o plan decision making. The
ieldwo k was ca ied ou in he second hal o 2018.
2 Re iew o he Li e a u e
2.1 Business Tou ism
Acco ding o Ma ín (2011), business ou ism e e s o a
leisu e ac i i y, he p oduc o mobili y ca ied ou o wo k
easons ou side o one’s habi ual esidence, o accom-
plish a ious comme cial ag eemen s o o a end e en s
(e.g., cong esses, ai s, con en ions) wi hou ob aining
any emune a ion a he des ina ion. Fu he mo e, Muñoz
e al. (2016) ha e ci ed Flama ich and Du o, who classi y
he componen s o business ou ism as shown in Figu e 1.
Figu e 1. Business ou ism classi ica ion
120  Alba Caicedo Ba e h e al.
Ga cía (2016) desc ibes business ou ism as i al o
he ou ism ma ke , cha ac e ized by high demand, con-
inuous inno a ion and need o se ices, and pe manen
aining o p o ide s, due o he common exe cise o he
ac i i y.
As business con inues o expand, business a elle s
a e g owing in numbe and ha e become an impo an
segmen o a elle s and he ou is ma ke (Cazano a,
Wa d, & Holland, 2014; Gus a son, 2012; Wang & Bei-
se-Zee, 2013). Al hough ou ism was o iginally de ined
as a el ou side o one’s usual en i onmen and wi hou
emune a ion, business a elle s a e now being in e-
g a ed in o ou ism s udies. Business ou is s comp ise
wo segmen s: he indi idual ou is , who a els o a ci y
o de elop his/he business ac i i ies; and g oup business
ou ism, cha ac e ized by pa icipa ing in cong esses,
con en ions and ai s in he place o des ina ion.
2.2 Bleisu e Tou ism
Lichy and Mcleay (2018) claim ha indi iduals who
combine hei wo k du ies wi h leisu e can be called ‘blei-
su e a elle s’ and epo ha he e is a lack o s udies
ega ding hese pa icula hyb id ips (p. 517). Howe e ,
au ho s such as Cohen (2011), Smi h and Ca michael
(2007), Unge , U iely and Fuchs (2016), and U iely and
Reichel (2000) ha e all ocused on he business a elle
expe ience in hei esea ch.
Chung, Choi, Yoo, and Kim (2020) no e ha bleisu e
ou ism has eme ged om he usion o business and
leisu e owing o he blu ing o he bounda ies be ween
hem. Ma ín (2017) has also ema ked ha hype con-
nec ed wo ke s in e wine hei pe sonal and wo king
li es, enabling hem o enjoy hemsel es on business
ips.Fo Ca lson Wagonli T a el (CWT, 2016), a ip can
be desc ibed as bleisu e i i mee s a leas one o he ol-
lowing condi ions: a) ligh o he des ina ion on a Sa u -
day; and (b) e u n om he des ina ion on a Sunday, as
mos mee ings a e held on wo k days.
In his way, mee ings, incen i es, con e ences and
exhibi ions (MICE) ha e among hei a endees a new
impo an segmen o ou ism: hose business a elle s
who decide o use some o hei ime o isi he des ina-
ion.Some s udies ha e come close o s udying bleisu e,
engaging in opics such as he business a el expe ience
(Unge e al., 2016) and he ac i i ies unde aken du ing
business ips (Smi h & Ca michael, 2007), al hough Lichy
and Mcleay (2018) quo e o he au ho s (WEF, 2015, 2016)
and desc ibe bleisu e a elle s as p o essionals who
combine hei business ips wi h leisu e ime.
In hei epo ‘A quan i a i e look a he bleisu e phe-
nomenon’, CWT Solu ions G oup (2016) also men ion he
e m ‘bleisu e’ as he blending o business and leisu e
a el, whe e he a elle adds days o pe sonal ime o
his/he business ip.As an analysis o he business ips
booked by he company in 2015, his documen e eals
abou 1.9 million business a elle s.O he ciphe s indi-
ca e ha 20% o business a elle s pe o m bleisu e,
mos ly a he end o hei ips, al hough one hi d do so a
he beginning and 20% du ing he ip. Fu he , he doc-
umen s a es ha he majo i y o a elle s a e women,
mos ly aged be ween 20 and 25 yea s. Mo eo e , mos ips
a e in e con inen al and he g ea e he dis ance be ween
he ci y o o igin and he des ina ion, he highe he likeli-
hood o his ype o ou ism aking place.
Unde s anding he p o ile o bleisu e ou is s is
impo an in o de o adap ou ism se ices acco ding
o he needs and cha ac e is ics o his ma ke segmen ,
whose main a ge is he millennial en ep eneu (Lichy
& McLeay, 2018). Lichy adds ha bleisu e a elle s a e
mo i a ed by in e nal ac o s (push heo y acco ding o
Kim, Oh, & Joga a nam, 2007) o ex e nal ac o s such as
des ina ion a ibu es (pull heo y, acco ding o Co eia,
Kozak, & Fe adei a, 2013; Yoon & Uysal, 2005).
Explaining wha mo i a es di e en ypes o a el-
le s o combine business and leisu e is no a ield ha has
ecei ed much a en ion in heo ies, acco ding o Lichy
and Mcleay. Thus, hese au ho siden i y di e en ypes o
bleisu e a elle s based on hei a el in e es s: 1) expe i-
en ial lea ne s, 2) escape s, 3) holiday wo ke s o holiday-
make s, 4) pa icipan s in al uis ic knowledge (usually
senio academics), and 5) esea ch-ac i e ailblaze s.
E e y classi ica ion men ioned has i s own mo i a-
ion: o he i s g oup, lea ning (Pea ce & Lee, 2005;
Ri chie & C ouch, 2003; We y, 2008); o he second,
seeking au onomy and o escape (Lo & Lee, 2011); o he
hi d, angible ou comes such as language quali ica ions
and in angible ou comes such as cul u al awa eness
(Lichy & Mcleay, 2018); o he ou h, al uism, engage-
men and willingness o lea n (Pa aske aidis & And io-
is, 2017); and o he i h, building one’s social ne wo k
(Ba os, 2006) and enhancing one’s epu a ion (Lichy &
Mcleay, 2018).
As a as mo i a ion is conce ned, p e ious s udies
ha e e ealed ha expe ien ial lea ning is one o he
main ends ha a elle s p e e and ha can ake place
h ough bleisu e (Lichy & Mcleay, 2017). Expe imen al
lea ning inc eases he lea ne ’s p e ious belie s o knowl-
edge and helps o esol e con lic s be ween modes o
e lec ion, ac ion, eeling and hough (Kolb & Kolb, 2005)
Compe i i eness o Guayaquil owa ds bleisu e ou ism   121
2.3 Millennial Tou is s
Al hough gene a ional bo de s a e di icul o de ine,
Gene a ion Y, also known as millennials, a e hose people
bo n be ween he yea s 1980 and 1995 (Bencsik, Ho -
á h-Csikós, & Juhász, 2016; Be kup, 2014); cu en ly,
hey a e be ween 25 and 40 yea s old. This g oup has
been desc ibed as he age o echnology due o he g ea
con ibu ions hey ha e made in digi al communica-
ions, e lec ing socio-cul u al changes in he popula ion
(Sa’aban e al., 2013).
B a o, Ca alán and Pina (2020) s a e ha millennials
ep esen a dynamic g oup in ou ism, no only in e ms
o hei access o and handling o 24/7 echnology bu also
o hei ways o enjoying new expe iences. These au ho s
also desc ibe Gene a ion Y as well in o med and highly
consump ion-o ien ed, ha ing sophis ica ed as es in
shopping. Chen and Li (2020) claim ha hey cons i u e
a a elle g oup who like explo ing a g ea e numbe o
des ina ions and ‘spend mo e ime on ou s’; u he , hey
a e end ollowe s and consequen ly equi e easy access
o in o ma ion be o e and du ing hei a el. Ke e (2020)
ega ds he Eu opean Gene a ion Y as a ele an economic
o ce in ou ism and quo es Ga ikap i e al.’s s udy (2016)
‘Millennials ocus on expe ience, he he e-and-now and
sa e- o -a- ainy-day a i ude’. Finally, T a el Pulse (2020)
ha e ecen ly ema ked ha Gene a ion Y a e a g oup
wishing o a el soon due o he cu en COVID-19 pan-
demic.
Fo La ín e al. (2017), he ou is p o ile o his
segmen can be iden i ied by he sea ch o di e en al e -
na i es (acco ding o budge and as e), p e ious book-
ings h ough si es o digi al applica ions, anking si es
o g ea es in e es and disposi ion o being connec ed o
di e en social ne wo ks h ough echnological de ices
du ing he ip, allowing hem o sha e hei expe iences.
2.4 Compe i i eness
The e m ‘compe i i eness’ was ini ially limi ed o eco-
nomic aspec s.Po e (1990) is well known as one o he
pionee s in his ield and ecognized o concep ualizing
a model called he ‘Po e Diamond’, a s udy de ailing
he compe i i eness o 10 coun ies, wi h ou imme sed
ac o s: he ac o condi ions o p oduc ion, demand
condi ion, ela ed sec o s o suppo ing indus ies and
a componen e e ing o i m s a egy, s uc u e and
i al y. Po e also men ions wo exogenous ac o s –
go e nmen and chance – in ol ing laws, poli ical s uc-
u es and un o eseen en i onmen al e en s.Fo Po e , a
company, sec o o coun y is compe i i e when he ou
elemen s ac in a balanced way e en i hey a e no all a
100%; ne e heless, i one is de icien i a ec s he whole
sys em and he e o e he esul is global compe i i eness.
Salinas Fe nández e al. (2020) quo e di e en au ho s
who ha e sough o measu e compe i i eness, al hough
wi hou a gene al consensus (Mazanec & Ring, 2011; Na -
ickas & Malakauskai e, 2009). Among hem, Kozak and
Rimming on (1998, 1999) claim ha a des ina ion’s com-
pe i i eness can be measu ed h ough mixed me hods,
ga he ing ha d da a om seconda y sou ces and so da a
om su eys among ou is s, agen s and expe s.
Secall (2003) men ions compe i i eness as he abili y
o achie e objec i es o e he a e age measu emen o he
sec o in a sus ainable way, h ough inancial, social, and
en i onmen al e u ns, gene a ed om he in e ac ion
be ween he communi y and public ins i u ions o ob ain
he sa is ac ion o he ou is . Ab eu-No ais, Ruhanen,
and A codia (2015) ag ee wi h Secall and de ine compe -
i i eness as he capaci y o a des ina ion o each aims,
conside ing h ee dimensions: esiden popula ion, des-
ina ion a ac i eness, and sus ainabili y (Ab eu-No ais
e al., 2018)
Rod íguez-An ón, Rubio And ada, Alonso-Almeida,
and Celemín Ped oche (2016) g oup he app oaches o
Po e (1990), De Keyse and Vanho e (1994), Hassan
(2000), D’Hau ese e (2000), and Hong (2009), posing
ou ism compe i i eness as ‘ he abili y o a geog aphical
a ea, endowed wi h speci ic a ac i e cha ac e is ics,
o compe e wi h o he geog aphical a eas because i has
ex ao dina y esou ces o manages hem e icien ly’ (p.
413). Fo o he au ho s, he human ac o is he unda-
men al elemen o des iny, because i b ings compe i i e
ad an ages, wi h he educa ion and aining o hese indi-
iduals being he pilla s o his di e en ia ing elemen
(Lillo, Ramón, & Se illa, 2007).
The e olu ion o he de ini ion o compe i i eness
has been e iden .Hong (2008) no es ha ini ially, com-
pe i i eness e e ed o compa a i e ad an ages (Rica do,
1817), bu now i implies compe i i e ad an ages (Po e ,
1985). The compa a i e ad an ages in ques ion encom-
passed esou ces: na u al, cul u al, human, knowledge,
and echnology. By con as , compe i i e ad an ages e e
o s akeholde s, s a egic planning, main enance, ack-
ing de elopmen , e iciency o ope a ions, and accessing
esou ces. All o hese ha e been ecognized as indices
and ha e c ea ed di e en mechanisms o quan i y com-
pe i i eness, hus oday, he compe i i eness o ou is
des ina ions mus be measu ed h ough many ac o s
acco ding o one’s app oach.
122  Alba Caicedo Ba e h e al.
One o ganiza ion dedica ed o he p omo ion and
e alua ion o ou ism is he Wo ld T a el and Tou ism
Council (WTTC), which since 2001 has compiled eigh
majo g oups o indica o s o he compe i i eness o
ou is des ina ions: p ice compe i i eness, human ac o ,
in as uc u e, en i onmen , echnology, human ac o in
he ou ism indus y, openness, and social de elopmen .
These a e aligned wi h In e na ional Mone a y Fund (IMF)
indica o s o measu e he compe i i eness o di e en
coun ies’ economies (Flo es, 2008).
One o he mos widely s udied app oaches is he eco-
nomic one, whe e he sa is ac ion o he isi o and he
a ailable o e a e conside ed. The mos ele an au ho s
in his ield a e Dwye and Kim (2003) and Vengesayi
(2003), while Hea h (2003) adds he impo ance o human
esou ces, s a egic planning and dissemina ion s a egy.
Dwye and Kim’s s udy has been applied o Ko ean,
Aus alian, Se bian, C oa ian and Slo enian des ina-
ions. The model encompasses bo h supply and demand;
u he a ibu es a e measu ed in a quan i a i e, mul i-
dimensional, abs ac and inaccu a e manne (Be do,
2015; Gomezelj & Mihalič, 2008; Kneze ic C elba , Dwye ,
Koman, & Mihalic, 2016). Dwye and Kim (2003) a gue
ha he a ibu es o compe i i eness depend on ou
ac o s. The i s is esou ces, in his case, consis ing
o o iginal esou ces (na u al and cul u al), esou ces
c ea ed ( ou ism in as uc u e, e en s, ac i i ies and
o he o ms o en e ainmen ) and suppo esou ces
(suppo in as uc u e, quali y o se ice, accessibili y
o des ina ion, communi y hospi ali y, and ma ke ela-
ions). The second ac o is he managemen o he des-
ina ion, which includes he o ganiza ional managemen
o he des ina ion, ma ke ing, poli ics, planning and
de elopmen , human esou ces, and he en i onmen .
Con ingency ac o s ep esen he hi d ac o , in ol ing
mic o-en i onmen , loca ion, mac o-en i onmen , p ices,
and secu i y. Finally, he ou h ac o e e s o demand
condi ions, which means he ou is ’s awa eness o he
des ina ion, his/he pe cep ion, and p e e ences.
Vengesayi (2003) p esen s a mix o componen s, based
on in insic des ina ion esou ces and ac i i ies, plus en i-
onmen al expe iences – bo h physical and social – and
suppo ing se ices, which p o ide he unique des ina-
ion b and as a combina ion be ween compe i i eness and
a ac i eness. As a esul , h ee hings a e gene a ed: he
image o he des ina ion, ou is sa is ac ion, and o gani-
za ional p esen a ion.
Wi hin he sus ainable app oach, which conside s
economic p o i abili y, social wel a e and en i onmen-
al ca e, a e he con ibu ions o he ollowing au ho s:
Ab eu-No ais e al. (2016), Buhalis (2000), Dupey as and
Maccallum (2013), Hassan (2000), Hong (2008), Jimenez
and Aquino (2012), Ri chie and C ouch (2003), and Wo ld
Economic Fo um (2013).
Fo he Wo ld Economic Fo um (2013), he pilla s o
a des ina ion’s compe i i eness a e based on h ee mac o
ac o s: ou ism egula ion, ou ism en i onmen , and
esou ces. The ou ism egula o y amewo k includes
policies, o dinances and laws, en i onmen al sus aina-
bili y, sa e y, heal h and hygiene, and he p io i iza ion
o he ou ism indus y. The second componen includes
ai , land, ou ism and elecommunica ions in as uc u e
as well as p ice compe i i eness. The hi d ac o , no less
impo an , comp ises human esou ces, ela ionship wi h
he ou ism indus y, and na u al and cul u al esou ces.
Dupey as and Maccallum (2013) men ion ou ca e-
go ies: indica o s o measu e de elopmen and impac s,
indica o s o moni o quali y and compe i i eness, indi-
ca o s o a ac people o des ina ion, and indica o s o
policy esponses and economic oppo uni ies. The ol-
lowing a e also iden i ied as key elemen s o es ablish-
ing hese indica o s: go e nance, p oduc de elopmen ,
quali y o se ices, p ice compe i i eness, accessibili y/
connec i i y, des ina ion b anding, na u al and cul u al
esou ces, and human esou ce de elopmen .
C ouch and Ri chie (1999) p esen i e dimensions:
suppo esou ces, a ac ion ac o s, des ina ion man-
agemen ; o ganiza ion, des ina ion planning and de el-
opmen ; and compe i i eness cons ain s. The i s g oup
includes in as uc u e, accessibili y, enabling esou ces,
hospi ali y, en e p ise, and poli ical will. The second
componen e e s o a ou able physical and geog aph-
ical aspec s, clima e, cul u e, his o y, ac i i ies, e en s,
en e ainmen , supe s uc u e, and ma ke ela ions. The
hi d g oup comp ises o ganiza ion, ma ke ing, quali y o
se ice and expe ience, in o ma ion and esea ch, human
esou ce managemen , inance and en u e capi al,
isi o managemen , esou ce managemen and c isis
managemen . The ou h ac o e e s o he de ini ion o
he sys em, philosophy, alues, ision, posi ioning, de el-
opmen , compe ence analysis, collabo a o s, e alua ion,
and audi . The i h and inal ac o is he loca ion o he
des ina ion, secu i y, cos - alue a io, in e dependencies,
image, epu a ion, and load capaci y o he des ina ion.
Hassan (2000) ocuses his model on de eloping com-
pe i i eness s a egies o he ou ism indus y, he e o e,
i s ac o s o ou ism compe i i eness a e o ien ed owa ds
sus ainabili y, in ol ing he ollowing ou de e minan s:
compa a i e ad an age, including mac o- and mic o-en-
i onmen al ac o s; demand o ien a ion, he abili y o
des ina ion o espond o ma ke changes; indus y s uc-

Compe i i eness o Guayaquil owa ds bleisu e ou ism   123
u e, ha is, he exis ence o ou ism o ganiza ions; and
en i onmen al commi men .
Fo Hong (2008), compe i i eness depends on six
ac o s and 23 a ibu es. In he i s sec ion, he e a e
endogenous ac o s, including exogenous compa a i e
ad an ages such as na u al and cul u al esou ces. The
second aspec e e s o he endogenous compa a i e
ad an ages con ained in human esou ces, knowledge
and echnology. The hi d g oup o a ibu es belong o
compe i i e ad an ages, which a e in es o s, s a egic
planning o gene a e ma ke linkages, esou ce main e-
nance, esou ce alloca ion acking, g ow h and de elop-
men , pe o mance e ec i eness and acili y. The ou h
ac o comp ises ou ism managemen wi h aining,
esponsibili y o esou ces, ma ke ing, o ganiza ion, eg-
ula ion, business in eg a ion, in o ma ion p o ision and
se ices. The i h componen e e s o he condi ions o
he global en i onmen , whe e des ina ion oppo uni ies
such as e en s and changes in he supe s uc u e a e men-
ioned. The six h ac o is called domes ic en i onmen
condi ions and con ains acciden al and expec ed e en s.
Rod íguez-An ón e al. (2016) men ion as a syn he-
sis ha in he models o C ouch and Ri chie, Dwye and
Kim, he WEF and Hong, ou is esou ces, he en i on-
men and he managemen o he des ina ion a e p esen ;
howe e , he he e ogenei y among he de ini ion o wha
encompasses each one p edomina es, wi h he WEF p o-
iding a clea de ini ion o indica o s o measu e he com-
pe i i eness o a des ina ion.
The T a el and ou ism compe i i eness epo (WEF,
2017) p esen s he T a el and Tou ism Compe i i eness
Index, which he WEF has dic a ed since 2006, using he
measu emen o ac o s and policies in ol ed in he sus-
ainable de elopmen o a des ina ion. Fo he calcula ion
o he index, 14 pilla s a e used, wi h 90 indi idual indica-
o s using a scale o alues be ween 1 and 7, bu i should
be emphasized ha o e he yea s, he way in which he
indica o s a e calcula ed has changed. The da a a e com-
piled h ough ha d da a, s anda dized o be compa able
wi h he esul s o he WEF’s Execu i e Opinion Su ey.
The ou basic aspec s o dimensions o he calcula ion
a e plo ed in Figu e 2:
Based on his li e a u e e iew, he p esen s udy
app oaches compe i i eness as he abili y o esou ces
suppo ed by in as uc u e, echnology and policies o
answe demand needs; hus, his esea ch ocuses on he
Figu e 2. Dimensions o compe i i eness
No e: Based on he ‘T a el and ou ism compe i i eness Repo ’ (2017)
124  Alba Caicedo Ba e h e al.
dimension o esou ces in Guayaquil as a po en ial blei-
su e des ina ion.
3 Me hodology
The aim o his pape is o diagnose he po en ial o Guay-
aquil as a bleisu e ou ism des ina ion h ough iden i y-
ing sui able and p e e ed a ac ions o millennial busi-
ness ou is s, acili a ing he ci y’s compe i i eness as a
des ina ion.
As a s a ing poin , he s udy desc ibed had ou
phases. The i s phase consis ed o li e a u e e iew
conce ning he keywo ds o he esea ch. In he second
phase, he i s ieldwo k ook place, in ol ing obse -
ing Guayaquil’s ou is o e . The obse a ion shee was
applied du ing weekends and encompassed he name
o he a ac ion, ca ego y, ype and sub ype as a ac-
ion, loca ion, accessibili y, hou s and days o a en ion,
esou ces, ac i i ies o do, p ices and sui able o no o
millennials. In he hi d phase, seconda y da a conce n-
ing he ou is demand o he ci y we e e iewed. The
ou h phase consis ed o applying su eys and in e iews
o ca y ou he analysis o supply based on demand o
compa e he po en ial compe i i eness o he ci y as a
bleisu e des ina ion.
The s udy was non-expe imen al and adop ed a
mixed-me hods app oach, ga he ing quali a i e and
quan i a i e in o ma ion (He nández-Sampie i, Fe nán-
dez, & Bap is a, 2010). The dimensions o he s udy we e:
he abili y o esou ces, in as uc u e, echnology, and
local policies o suppo demand needs. The quan i a i e
pa was applied o he s a is ical analysis o millennial
business isi o s, ocused on e alua ing hei in e es s as
consume s o bleisu e.
Theo e ically, analy ical me hods we e used o
obse e each pa o he p oblem and i s componen s,
while induc i e me hods we e applied o business isi o s
in Guayaquil. In e ms o wo king me hods, bibliog aphic
esea ch and ieldwo k we e applied, applying su eys o
people isi ing Guayaquil o pa icipa e in cong esses and
o he e en s. Fu he mo e, in e iews we e conduc ed o
acqui e in o ma ion om expe s in business ou ism and
u ban ou ism sec o in he ci y, h ough a ques ion bank
o each pe son in e iewed. The ques ionnai e included
open que ies, aimed a bo h co po a e e en and cong ess
o ganise s, applying indica o s such as s a egies, ou ism
de elopmen , ma ke segmen , o ganiza ion o MICE
e en s and specializa ions in he MICE sec o , pe sonal-
ized ou is packages, ou is p o ile and ou is o e . The
ques ionnai e se ed o de e mine he cu en s a e and
po en ial o he business ou ism ma ke in Guayaquil.
In o de o apply a su ey, i is necessa y o es ablish a
sample, hus, ou o 692,704 o eign isi o s in 2017 (Guay-
aquil is my des ina ion, 2018), a popula ion sample was
c ea ed wi h 5% e o and 95% eliabili y, comp ising 384
su ey pa icipan s in o al.
The ques ionnai es we e submi ed unde cons uc-
ion alidi y, co obo a ed in hei con en by he modali y
o expe c i e ia and eliabili y was ob ained h ough he
es - e es echnique wi h a pilo sample o 50 people.
The su ey comp ised 15 ques ions, wi h Like scales
and nume ical cha ac e is ics add essed o millennial
business ou is s. The equi ed indica o s we e gende ,
age, ma i al s a us, wo k ac i i ies, place o esidence,
a e age s ay, a e age lodging cos , in luence decision
on he ip, p e e ence o ac i i ies o be ca ied ou , p e-
e ed paymen o ms and p e e ed medium o choose a
supplie .
4 Resul s
In o de o de e mine he app op ia e ou is a ac ions
o he bleisu e ou ism, he obse a ion p ocedu e ocused
on hose ee access o opened spaces wi h opening hou s
un il la e o nigh . A e age isi s pe isi o in mos o hem
is one hou and a hal . Among he leisu e o e a e music,
na u al a eas wi h lo a and auna, cul u e including gas-
onomy and social a eas, u ban and na u al landscapes
and local oo ball knowledge. P ices a e se acco ding o
se ices ( om lowe o highe ), al hough eligious a chi-
ec u e is ee o isi .
In he e iew o p e ious esea ch on ou is demand
in Guayaquil, we ook he in o ma ion o he Tou is
Obse a o y o he Sus ainabili y and Compe i i eness o
Guayaquil (Obse a o io Tu ís ico de la ciudad de Guayaq-
uil – OTCG, 2018), which dic a ed he s udy o he isi o
p o ile o he ci y. A summa y o i s main esul s is gi en
below.
The e was gende equali y among isi o s: he domes-
ic isi o s we e be ween he ages o 29 and 39 (32.76%),
while o eign isi o s we e gene ally aged 18 o 28 (36.66%).
The mon hly income o o eign ou is s was abo e USD
$900 (60%), while in he case o domes ic ou is s, 78%
ecei ed less han USD $1,000. The main easons o a el
we e leisu e and ec ea ion (33.99%), and wo k (29.87%).
The o ganiza ion o he ip was in 86.50% o cases ca ied
ou by he isi o s hemsel es, while he sea ch o in o -
Compe i i eness o Guayaquil owa ds bleisu e ou ism   125
ma ion abou he ci y was ca ied ou o e he In e ne in
51.86% o cases.
Domes ic a elle s p e e being accompanied by
amily (25.68%) o co-wo ke s (29.70%), while o eign
ou is s p e e a elling alone (52.51%). The a e age s ay
was wo nigh s o o eigne s (25.53%) and h ee nigh s
o domes ic isi o s (30.77%). A o al o 46.54% mo ed
a ound he ci y by axi and 41.28% o accommoda ion
wi hin he ci y comp ised ho els. The a e age daily spend
o 36.82% o isi o s was $40 o $60. The paymen me hod
used in he ci y was cash in he case o 75.61% o espond-
en s. The a ac ions isi ed included he Malecón Simón
Bolí a (35.46%) and he Ba io Las Peñas (19.71%).
Finally, he epo exp essed he le el o isi o sa is-
ac ion wi h he main mass e en s o ganized in he ci y.
F om a lis o 13 e en s, he highes anking we e Raices
Food Fai , Comic Con, The Funka Fes , and he In e na-
ional O chid Con e ence.
On he o he hand, ou su ey applied o o eign
business ou is s in Guayaquil e ealed ha mos busi-
nesspeople came om he Uni ed S a es (18%), ollowed
by Spain (12%), Canada (10%), China (9%) and Mexico
(7%). The a e age numbe o isi ing days we e h ee days
(34%) and wo days (26%); he main eason o a el was
business mee ings (29%), ollowed by cong esses (18%)
and ai s o con en ions (17%). As addi ional ac o s ha
in luenced isi s o he ci y, he la ges pe cen age (38%)
pe ained o p oduc s, se ices and ou is places.
Fo he ollowing ques ions, a scale om 1 o 5 was
p esen ed, whe e 1 mean no in e es ed and 5 e y in e -
es ed. Almos hal (46% o hem) men ioned ha he ac i -
i y hey would like o do a e hei business day is isi he
main a ac ions. Fo his eason, he ollowing ques ion
asked abou he ypes o ou is a ac ions people would
like o isi , wi h he la ges pe cen ages on he scale
(43% o 45%) being museums, chu ches, pa ks, squa es,
and quays. When asked wha kind o ou ism he o she
would like o do, 30% men ioned cul u al ou ism and
26% answe ed o he s op ions (e.g., spo s o gas onomy).
Based on he p e ious obse a ion, he nigh ac i i ies he
o she would like o do we e e alua ed on a Like scale
om 1 o 5 and among he op ions p esen ed, he Me cado
del Río (49%), Pue o San a Ana (48%), Las Peñas (47%),
and Plaza Guaya e (42%) we e he highes anking.
In e ms o accommoda ion p e e ence, loca ion p e-
ailed (29%) o e se ices, booking acili ies, p ice and
o he ac o s. When consul ing ou is s i a e comple ing
hei business, hey had he ime o pa icipa e in ou is
ou s, 88% ga e a posi i e esponse. In e ms o a ailable
days o ou s, weekends (39%) and F idays (32%) we e
mos popula . In e ms o hou s, a e noon un il 18:00
(38%) and a e 18:00 (34%) we e mos commonly ci ed.
Looking a he budge o ou ism ac i i ies, 43%
indica ed $201 o $500 and 39% be ween $101 and $200.
As he g oup o esponden s we e om Gene a ion Y, we
decided o asce ain whe he hey would be in e es ed in
pu ing oge he a package ou , o which 89% ga e a posi-
i e esponse. Thus, he nex ques ion was how hey would
like o p epa e hei package, 50% men ioned h ough a
web applica ion; u he mo e, 80% would p e e o make
he pu chase and paymen o he se ices wi h a c edi
ca d. The p e e ed means o inding ou abou o e s and
pe sonalized ou is packages we e social ne wo ks (59%).
Angelo Calde ón, an expe in business ou ism
e en s, was in e iewed in Decembe 2018 (In e iewee 1).
His answe s ega ding he MICE e en s and hei ela ion-
ship wi h business ou ism a e p esen ed in Table 1.
The owne and manage o a a el agency in Guayaq-
uil was also in e iewed (In e iewee 2). His answe s a e
summa ized in Table 2.
In o de o p o ide a lis o a ac ions app op ia e o
millennial business ou is s, a he end o he da a collec-
ion p ocess, obse a ions we e combined wi h p e ious
seconda y ou is demand in o ma ion and ou su eys
and in e iews. Thus, in Table 3 we p esen he selec ed
a ac ions o his g oup. I should be no ed ha he
a ac ions no included we e conside ed no o mee he
expec a ions o his ma ke niche.
5 Discussion
The WEF (2019) s a es ha Ecuado is in he 70 h posi ion
in e ms o wo ld compe i i eness, based on hese ou
aspec s: a) enabling en i onmen ; b) ee ade policies
and condi ions; c) in as uc u e; and 4) esou ces. The
componen s eaching low alues a e business en i on-
men , ai in as uc u e, g ound in as uc u e, bu he
lowes alue is cul u al esou ces and business a el, as
can be seen in Figu e 3.
Guayaquil does no ha e p elimina y da a ela ing o
he compe i i eness index o he ci y, hus we will analyse
he esul s based on wha we deemed he main dimension
o compe i i eness: he abili y o esou ces suppo ed by
in as uc u e, echnology and policies o answe demand
needs. Mo eo e , e en hough his s udy does no ocus
on he o he dimensions, we will discuss hei in luence
as suppo ing elemen s o he a ac ions.
The abo e-men ioned Guayaquil’s a ac ions o e
o business a elle s he oppo uni y o ha e leisu e and
126  Alba Caicedo Ba e h e al.
un wi h ee access, sui able access imes and sho is-
i ing pe iods. Some o hose a ac ions include inno a-
i e ea u es such as La Bo a Thea e, including cul u al
elemen s like mini-plays wi h d ama o comedies gen e
and Guaya e Squa e wi h i s gas onomic and bohemian
en i onmen du ing he e ening and nigh . Bo h op ions
allow ‘bleisu e a elle s’ o ha e mo e di e si ica ion in
Guayaquil.
The da a e ealed ha esou ces in Guayaquil can be
sui able o businesspeople isi ing he ci y. As Ma ques
and San os (2016) no e, u ban ou ism des ina ions a e
bes able o a ac his g oup o isi o s, hus Guayaquil
p o ides app op ia e leisu e expe iences wi h en e ain-
men in open spaces such as Malecón del Salado, Malecón
Simón Boli a , Guaya e, and Las Peñas, which Chen
and Li (2020) claim acili a e li e sa is ac ion o isi o s
h ough educing hei sense o c isis and o he nega i e
eelings.
The WTTC’s s a is ics e eal ha business a el
spending ep esen s 22.5% o di ec a el (WTTC, 2018),
Table 1. In e iewee 1
Topics Answe s
Si ua ion o e en s and business
ma ke in Guayaquil
The e en s and business ma ke in Guayaquil a e being de eloped and s eng hened; you
can obse e he wo k o he public en e p ise and he con en ion bu eau, he p oduc o hem
being he h ee awa ds ecei ed.
Specialis s The aining o specialis s is impo an and expe ience in he sec o would add signi ican
alue.
F equency o e en s A la ge numbe o e en s a e held. The ci y has a calenda o he la ges e en s.
Places whe e mos e en s ake place Simón Bolí a Con en ion Cen e, enowned ho els in he ci y.
Cha ac e is ics o he business ou is Always connec ed o he wo ld o echnology, needs cons an inno a ion and seeks new expe-
iences and sensa ions in e en s.
Types o ec ea ional ac i i ies o o e
o ou is s
Cul u al, a is ic and ec ea ional ac i i ies ha link he ci y’s his o y, cul u e and na u e.
Table 2. In e iewee 2.
Topics Answe
P o ile o he Gene a ion Y business
ou is
Businesspeople who isi he ci y o business in one way o ano he ca y ou ou ism in he
ci y, ha e conside able spending powe and sea ch o new expe iences and ad en u es. They
ep esen a new ma ke segmen in he ci y.
Demand g ow h The e is now a high demand o o eign ou is s eques ing ou is packages om he ci y. The
mo e MICE e en s he e a e, he mo e ou is s will isi he ci y.
Pe sonalized package ou s They a e equi ed by business ou is s; nigh ac i i ies a e he mos eques ed.
Ways o cap u e his segmen Th ough ou ism ma ke ing on social ne wo ks and websi es.
To o e inno a i e ou is al e na i es in ou is packages.
Figu e 3. Compe i i eness o Ecuado acco ding o he WEF (2019)
Compe i i eness o Guayaquil owa ds bleisu e ou ism   133
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